The Morlock Chronicles, Part 3: Angel with the Emerald Eyes
by Merkwurdigliebe
Summary: Now residing in the quiet town of Connla, a cleric recounts her tales as a young adventurer struggling with love, lost companions, and fate in the post-Arthurian realms of Midgard, Albion, and Hibernia.
1. Chapter 1

Oh muse! Sing in me, and through me tell the story

of the woman who possessed,

not only visions beyond those of mortals,

but also the love that dare not speak its name…

* * *

In the weeks following the fall of Castle Darkspire, the people of Hibernia and their friends reclaimed their homeland. It was a time of great joy but also a time of great sadness. Much of the land had been ravaged during J'nar's reign and only now were the freed peoples of Hibernia beginning to assess the damage of nearly two decades of occupation.

Not only was the destruction environmental, but the land's magic had been absorbed and perverted by J'nar's quest for ultimate power. Much of Connacht remained a magic-dead land with spells not working at all, or worse, causing massive destruction to the caster and those around them.

However not all of the damage was irreversible or detrimental. The rift in the veil caused by J'nar's experiments and the destruction of Castle Darkspire opened up new lands and freed the Shar peoples – new allies in the fight against Albion.

An uneasy truce remained between the Celt and the Norse, allowing Hibernia to lick its wounds. And even a few Midgardian expatriates now called Hibernia their home. But despite all of Hibernia's new allies, the Elves remained hidden, refusing to return. Not since the death of the Blademaster Rayne Golradir – Abaigeal's teacher, and secret lover – had the elfin members of the Otherworld been heard from.

In the north, teams of dwarven engineers assisted in the repair of the frontier gates Druim Caine and Druim Ligen. The structures were reinforced based on the experiences at Vindsaul Faste while the new armies of Hibernia began reclaiming the northern lands from Moher to the Cursed Forest from the denizens that had taken over in their absence. However the southern lands of the Celts showed much less damage.

After the invasion, Connla and much of the rest of southern lands of Hibernia had managed to escape the majority of Albion's attention. As a result, the recovery and rebuilding of the land progressed quickly. Isabella, the former cleric who had chosen to remain with Abaigeal and her family, used her knowledge of healing to aid the survivors of Albion's lengthy occupation.

Isabella had encountered little opposition to her presence in Connla; some of the residents were old enough to remember Abaigeal's father – the first Albion visitor to their village. Isabella's aid was welcome, although being isolated meant many residents of the small village had not bothered to learn the common tongue, thus making communication difficult at times. But having witnessed nearly forty winters, Isabella was no stranger to hardship and accepted the adversity as a consequence of her decision. Even with J'nar dead, returning to Albion would be impossible for her.

Isabella stared at the grey clouds obscuring the afternoon sun and contemplated her new life. The former Church of Albion cleric reclined beneath an old oak tree a fair distance from the center of the village of Connla and idly fingered a wooden flute. Her light armor hugged her slim form as the breeze tousled her light brown hair about her face. Isabella brushed the hair from her face revealing a light dusting of freckles across her cheeks and nose. She surveyed the village.

"It's changed so much…" she mused aloud.

A young, ginger-haired woman cradling an infant exited one of the huts. Behind her, a woman not much younger than Isabella helped the new mother. The two of them doted on the child until the older woman looked up and spied the Briton woman watching them. The woman pushed her long, curly black hair out of her face then smiled warmly at Isabella.

_Does she remember? _Isabella wondered. The older celt woman's brilliant blue eyes and innocent face were unmistakable and had changed little despite eighteen winters of harsh, Albion rule. Isabella realized that the woman she had met so long ago was a grandmother now.

Isabella smiled back and waved. No matter how hard she tried, the Albion exile could not escape her memories. The former cleric looked back to the younger woman holding the infant and noticed for the first time the light red hair. The young mother was obviously of Celtic decent, but if she indeed was the older woman's daughter, the color of her hair was truly out of place. Isabella sighed when she realized what had happened.

"It seems my efforts were for naught," she whispered to herself. The Albion woman took comfort in the fact that the two of them seemed happy regardless of events that took place so long ago. However, amidst her musing, something else caught Isabella's eye, something that always lifted her heart. There upon a large, weathered boulder at the water's edge – where she could be found almost every morning – sat Abaigeal.

The daughter of Keeley Elil – a Celt woman from Connla – and Eirik Westlake – the son of both Norse and Briton – Abaigeal had grown up with her family in Midgard. Orphaned at birth but unaware that her father was still alive, Abaigeal had only recently learned of her father's full heritage. However the worst blow came when Abaigeal learned her father served Albion as J'nar's assassin. The truth had been confirmed by none other than Isabella herself.

Abaigeal was not to be deterred from reuniting with her last living relative and she set out to confront her father in Castle Darkspire. Only when Eirik saw his daughter in peril did he realize the true path and sacrificed himself to save Abaigeal. With Abaigeal's help, Eirik had defeated the vile J'nar ending nearly twenty years of the evil mage's rule over Hibernia…and Albion. But this fact meant very little to Abaigeal whose mood had remained somber since laying her mother and father to rest.

Despite the young woman's perpetual melancholy, Abaigeal always managed to bring a little joy to Isabella's heart. But the Briton woman felt great concern for the young mixed-blood woman. Ever since they arrived in Connla – and indeed ever since Isabella had met her – Abaigeal's somber mood had deepened. Her adoptive parents – Liam and Romana – had comforted her as much as possible, but Abaigeal never spoke of her troubles. Everyone who knew her assumed it was due to mourning the loss of her family.

But Isabella saw more than most people could. Isabella had been blessed with more than what the Church or any wizard could teach her: Isabella could see deep into the souls of anyone she wished. It was an ability bestowed upon her at conception and one that she had never spoken about to anyone in Albion, fearing retribution from the Church. Isabella learned of her ability at an early age and over the years learned to interpret the visual manifestations of the soul. However they were often cryptic.

But beyond seeing into a person's soul, Isabella could see deep into a person's emotional state. Looking into Abaigeal's was like peering into the eye of a storm: grey, mournful, and uneasily calm when all around her was in chaos.

The two of them had spoken little in the past few weeks, but then Abaigeal had spoken very little to anyone since arriving in what was supposed to be her home. Isabella stayed close to the young woman and a silent bond formed between them. At least Isabella felt that a bond had formed. Abaigeal's emotions on that front were difficult to read.

But to Abaigeal, Isabella's presence raised many questions that needed answering…and many emotions she did not understand. Since their first meeting in Caer Hurbury, Abaigeal had been wrestling with her feelings concerning the older woman. The death of Rayne and the separation from her dear friend Katzch did not help either.

Isabella watched Abaigeal stare out over the waters of Shannon Estuary where her parents' ashes had been scattered. The young woman folded her arms and hugged herself as the growing wind buffeted her body as she sat perched atop the smooth boulder. After watching Abaigeal for a long while, Isabella clutched her flute, got up and tentatively approached.

Up close, Abaigeal's mood appeared darker, but as Isabella approached her, Abaigeal relaxed. The effect of Isabella's presence was two-fold. In addition to her insecurity about the past, Abaigeal saw the woman as an anchor for her future. Each time their paths, Isabella hoped to speak to Abaigeal about her concerns, but the older woman hesitated – not knowing how to broach the subject. Isabella sensed the impasse between them and sought to finally end it.

"Abaigeal?" the older woman spoke. Abaigeal –who had been gently running her hand over the boulder's smooth surface – turned to Isabella and a weak smile curled the edge of her mouth. Again, the same uncertainties froze the young woman, barring her from speaking. Isabella decided to be blunt. "Abaigeal, what is troubling you?" Isabella placed her arm around the young woman and squeezed gently. Abaigeal leaned into her and rested her head on the woman's neck.

"You must hate me." Abaigeal's voice cracked.

"Why would I, Abaigeal?" Isabella was shocked.

"I brought you here and we've hardly spoken. You must feel more out of place here than I do." Abaigeal slid off the rock and stood before Isabella.

Isabella tilted her friend's head up and looked into her eyes. "Abaigeal, I came here of my own will." Her voice was soft and reassuring. "Someone had to watch over you," she quipped with a gentle smile. Abaigeal's chuckle barely hid her pain.

"Then it's just me. I don't feel like I belong. Not anywhere." The young fighter looked around. "This place is supposed to be my home, yet…it feels so foreign."

Isabella nodded. "You are a child of three realms yet you do not feel a part of any of them."

"I miss my friends," Abaigeal said with a sniffle.

"I understand, Abaigeal." Isabella's embrace was chaste but comforting. "Those feelings will pass in time, and I'm sure you will see your friends again someday." Isabella prayed she was right, and that the truce between Hibernia and Midgard would last for many years. Perhaps someday future generations would see the end to the conflict.

"But I sense there is more, Abaigeal." Isabella watched the young woman force back a few tears.

Abaigeal searched long and hard for the words before speaking. "It's my father." Isabella wondered what about her father could possibly be troubling her so. The Briton woman knew much, but could not answer everything. "Something he said at Benowyc Faste. I-I need to know more about what happened to him. It still doesn't make sense why he turned away from us after my mother's death." Abaigeal turned to her friend to see the older woman biting her lip. Isabella hesitated for a moment.

"Perhaps we should ask your uncle."

* * *

On a grassy hill beside the shore north of Connla, Abaigeal stood beside Isabella and her aunt and uncle as the sun dipped below the horizon. Liam had relayed the story of the Albion invasion and how he pulled the injured Keeley from the water after witnessing the destruction of the bridge over Shannon Estuary. He could not, however, tell Abaigeal what became of her father.

"No one in the village saw anything. Those who hadn't made it through the portal to HyBrasil were hiding from the Albion onslaught," Liam had explained.

"So no one knows what happened to my father?" Abaigeal's hopes dropped.

"No one living," Romana spoke after pondering the situation.

Isabella furrowed her brow in confusion trying to decipher the woman's accent. Isabella had formed a special kinship with Romana. Being women of similar age, the two got along very well, and it was Romana who encouraged the ex-cleric's explorations into the bardic arts. Romana's tone indicated to Isabella that there was more to her statement.

"What do you mean?" Isabella asked.

"We will have to wait until nightfall," Romana said turning to Abaigeal. "Then perhaps we may find answers." Abaigeal was confused. If her aunt knew something why was she not saying? Why must she wait?

"Romana! Please!"

"Patience, Abaigeal. It is only a possibility. I beg you not to get your hopes up."

Abaigeal was nervous for the rest of the day and her heart thumped in her chest when her aunt, uncle, and Isabella collected her for their journey. The tiny village that was their destination lay a small distance to the north of Connla along the beach. Romana and Liam tread carefully as the vagabonds in the area had grown in strength during the years of neglect. Abaigeal ignored their presence, concentrating on the small huts and lean-tos that appeared just over the hill. The village appeared to have been completely abandoned for years.

"I don't understand…" Abaigeal began but was interrupted by her aunt.

"You will see." As the sun disappeared below the ocean waves, the last rays of sunlight retreated, revealing a startling sight. A dozen ghostly forms appeared, wondering about the village in a macabre imitation of everyday life. Isabella jumped when she saw one of the phantoms look straight through her.

When darkness overtook the land completely the phantoms became more substantial and Abaigeal could see they were elfin. Terrified, Isabella clung to Abaigeal for reassurance. The Briton woman feared ghosts. The sight of the undead instilled more terror in Isabella than anything else she had ever encountered in her life. Isabella gripped a small, wooden crucifix that hung on a chain around her neck.

"Siabra," Liam explained, "murdered by their own kin for turning their back on them and their evil ways. Now they are cursed to walk the earth as spirits." One of nearby ghosts perked his ears upon hearing Liam speak. The Siabra ghost approached casually and eyed the intruders. Everyone retreated cautiously behind Liam and waited. After a few moments scrutiny, the man spoke in an echoing, whispery voice that grated on Isabella's already frayed nerves.

"Liam? Is that you?"

"Aye, my friend." Liam smiled sadly.

"It's been ages! What's happened to you?"

"Nothing, friend. Everything is fine now." The ranger did not know how to tell the ghost that many years had passed. "Kellan, we must speak to Gaeth. Something important." The ghost recognized the urgency in his living friend's voice and nodded solemnly.

"This way then," the ghost of Kellan the Siabra said motioning towards the large hut. Liam approached the structure; his three companions huddled close behind.

Inside the hut, Abaigeal saw three ghosts: two men, and a woman. The oldest ghost looked up to greet the guests, but his expression darkened upon seeing them.

"Chief Gaeth." Liam bowed, the rest of the companions following suit. "It has been a long time, I know, but we wish to speak with you."

"I had…" the ghost began sadly. "I had hoped you were my daughter. She has not visited us in a long time." Liam's eyes grew wet upon hearing Gaeth's words.

"M'lord, many things have happened. Your daughter was prevented from visiting you." The old man's face brightened upon hearing the words.

"Then she is alive!"

Liam hesitated. "I do not know M'lord." Kaylee and her husband had escaped to HyBrasil with many of the defenders, but Liam did not know of her whereabouts since he and the others had taken refuge in Midgard. "My lord, something happened. Invaders swept across the land many years ago, and your daughter escaped. I do not know where she is now, but I swear to you that I will find her and let her know that her father misses her." Gaeth's face dropped, and a great sadness overtook the spirit.

"Thank you, my friend." The old spirit's eye's returned to Liam's and he tried his best to look calm. "Now what may I do for you and your friends in return?" Liam took a deep breath.

"Many years ago, a fire swept through the land."

"Yes, I remember it. Your village was attacked."

"Aye, along with the rest of our lands, M'lord. That night did you see what happened?" Chief Gaeth looked to the ghost of the woman beside him for a moment before turning back to Liam.

"No, I did not." Abaigeal's heart sank. "But one of us did," he added, motioning for the woman to come to him. "Airmid, if you please?" The tall, elfin woman approached and stood next to Chief Gaeth. After looking at Liam for a moment, the two parted to reveal a small child behind them. The phantom of the young girl looked frightened and Liam did his best to calm the child.

"Hello, child," the ranger spoke warmly, smiling. "Do you remember the night Connla was attacked?" The girl looked up at Airmid uncertainly.

"It is alright, Islene, you may tell him." Abaigeal crouched beside her uncle and listened. The young girl turned back to the four living people in her hut and spoke with a frightened voice.

"That's when the men in metal clothes came and all the people left."

"Aye, that's right. What did you see?"

"I heard loud noises. They got louder and I wanted to see." Islene looked up at her mother. Airmid smiled and nodded. Turning back to Liam, the girl continued. "I didn't want to get in trouble. I just wanted to see."

"I understand, Islene. It's alright, you may tell us." Liam wanted to comfort the child, but his touch could not reach the realm of the dead; his hand would merely pass through the young girl and terrify her.

"It looked like the trees were on fire then I saw the bridge turn into flames. A man stood in front of the bridge trying to get to the other side." Liam realized this must have been Eirik.

"Good, good. What happened to him?" Liam's voice became urgent and Islene hesitated.

"A woman from the village started yelling at him. She attacked him." Liam's heart sank. The rest of the group was confused.

"Who attacked him?" Abaigeal asked. The ghost child recoiled slightly, held closely by her mother.

"The woman in blue." Liam's worst fears were now known to him to be true. "She was about to kill him when the others arrive."

Liam hung his head and sighed deeply. "What happened to the woman? Did you see?"

"She died." Islene's words were spoken with no emotion, but they bore heavily on Liam. Romana wrapped her arms around her husband.

"Thank you, Islene." Liam turned back to the leader of the village. "Thank you, Gaeth. I promise you I will find your daughter." The ranger turned and walked out of the hut, a near frantic Abaigeal in tow.

"What's going on, uncle?! What happened?!" The young woman's voice was quivering. "Who was this woman who attacked my father?!" Liam stopped and placed his hand on Abaigeal's shoulders.

"Abbie, I'm sorry. She…the woman who attacked your father was your mother's trainer," he said, "and guardian." Abaigeal was horrified.

"Ilisa?" Tears streamed from the young woman's eyes.

"She never trusted your father," Romana answered. "She must have blamed him for the invasion." Abaigeal held her head in her hands and was shaking. "Abaigeal?"

"No, no, no, no! It can't be!" the young woman cried. Romana tried to hold Abaigeal but she backed away.

"Abaigeal, please. We had no idea." Romana's heart was broken. She had no idea the news would affect her adopted daughter so strongly.

"I just can't accept this!" she cried in between sobs before running off into the darkness. Liam was about to run after her when Isabella stopped him.

"Please, let me talk to her." Isabella pleaded with Liam who eventually conferred his permission with a nod. When Isabella disappeared after Abaigeal, Liam and Romana held each other in the darkness until starting the long walk back to Connla.

* * *

Close to the village, Isabella found Abaigeal on a hill overlooking the whole of Shannon Estuary. Abaigeal sat beneath a tree staring towards the waters. As Isabella approached, she hoped for some sign from Abaigeal but she did not respond to Isabella's presence. Isabella bit her lip and kneeled beside the weeping young woman.

"Abaigeal, I'm sorry. I cannot imagine how hard this must be."

"I wish my father had never come here."

"What do you mean?" Isabella asked, confused.

"Ilisa was right: my father did cause all of this, but he never knew it!"

"Abaigeal, I don't understand…" Abaigeal looked up at the Briton woman, her eyes red and her cheeks tear-stained.

"J'nar, when he attacked me, I saw it all. Everything that he knew, _I_ knew."

"What do you mean? How could he…?"

"J'nar died decades ago when a daemon possessed his body. When it tried to possess mine, all of its thoughts and all of its memories became known to me." Isabella's mind reeled with this revelation. "It used my father to find a way into Hibernia!" Abaigeal broke down, sobbing. Finally it all became clear to Isabella. It was Eirik's association with the Shadows Guild that gave J'nar, or this daemon, insight on how to conquer Hibernia. Holding the young Abaigeal in her arms, Isabella tried to console her.

"If he had never come here," Abaigeal continued, "none of this would have happened!" Isabella hushed her friend. She knew there was no use in lamenting the events that could not be changed.

"Then you would never have existed," Isabella said when Abaigeal had calmed down enough to listen. Isabella gently turned her young friend around and looked into her eyes where she saw a frightened child surrounded by an encroaching storm. Staring into Isabella's deep green eyes washed away much of Abaigeal's hysteria, but the grief remained. Caressing her cheek, Isabella spoke to Abaigeal softly.

"Abaigeal, we cannot escape our fate; we can only choose a path within it. J'nar would have found a way with or without your father. And were it not for you, the daemon that possessed him would still be alive today, and it would have conquered the Norse lands plunging the world into darkness." Abaigeal sniffed, the last of her tears crawling down her cheeks.

"But all of this death…my mother…"

"Fate, Abaigeal! Your friends in Midgard are alive today because of your mother and father; because of _you_! Hibernia can rebuild, and with new allies! Fate brought you and your father together to defeat an impossible enemy." Isabella bit her lip, in a nervous habit. _And fate brought you to me_, she thought.

"I just want to feel something; anything but this." More tears flowed from Abaigeal's eyes. Isabella could stop herself no longer and lifted Abaigeal's face her own. Abaigeal's cries and the vision of the little girl in the storm drew tears from Isabella's eyes until they mingled with those on Abaigeal's cheeks. Isabella pressed her forehead against Abaigeal's for a moment before taking a deep breath and leaning in for a firm kiss.

Abaigeal did not care that it was another woman holding her, and returned the kiss with a burning passion. Closing her eyes, Abaigeal opened her mouth and slipped her tongue in between Isabella's lips. Isabella was shocked and nearly fainted when she felt Abaigeal's tongue bumping against her own. What Abaigeal lacked in sensuality, she made up for in raw passion. The poor Albion woman was so taken aback that she collapsed onto Abaigeal.

Panting heavily through her nose, Isabella refused to relinquish the kiss for which she had waited so long. It was this kiss that had caused her to risk her life and escape her exile in Snowdonia. It was this kiss that caused her to travel across the land and enter J'nar's fortress in search of Abaigeal and her father. It was this kiss that Isabella had dreamed of since before she became an acolyte.

Isabella wrapped her arms around the young woman beneath her and their lips finally parted. Looking deep into Abaigeal's eyes she saw the child running from the storm, her arms outstretched. Shifting her focus, Isabella saw hesitation in Abaigeal's expression. The older woman knew she had to proceed carefully.

"Abaigeal…" she began, but was cut off.

"Take me." Isabella was overwhelmed by the young woman's invitation.

"What did you…"

"Take me home, please."

* * *

Published December 7th, 2019

* * *

Author's note: I hope you have enjoyed this teaser. However the majority of _Angel with the Emerald Eyes_ is more "appropriate" for another site. Please see my collection on AO3 for the continuation of this story.


	2. Chapter 2

Just a reminder that this story is continued on AO3.


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